The Reading festival could be in line for a change of venue after the current site was put up for sale, according to organisers Mean Fiddler.
The 65-acre Richmond Avenue site, which has been used for the festival since 1971, has been put on the market by current owners Caledonia Investments.
Mean Fiddler’s managing director Melvyn Benn insisted the future of the festival is safe but admitted that the possibility of increased rent from new owners could force the company to look elsewhere.
He said: "A new owner could put up the rent but only if we keep using it in the future. The Reading festival is as secure and exciting and fantastic whether we use that site or not."
Mean Fiddler have expressed interest in buying the land, although other parties are reported to be interested, according to icBerkshire.
Ticket sales for the festival net around £9 million in revenue for organisers every year.
This year’s event takes place August 24-26 and will feature headline performances from Smashing Pumpkins, Razorlight and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
it was 'up for sale'
last year as well.
they'll need to look for a new venue in case the rent is too expensive?
don't make me laugh.
PLease concret it over with shit pits for ugly couples and their dog children
that would be great.
is one weekend a year not enough already?
.
concrete*
Mean fiddler should just buy the site
they would make the money back, though that will mean massive hikes in ticket prices
by that logic
they've bought the site every year since 1992.
I'd
buy it for a tenner.
RichFIELD Avenue
not Richmond Avenue.
There's a problem with Mean Fiddler buying the site
The people who own it have said it's a standard auction - everyone submits a closed-envelope bid, highest amount gets it at that price.
Property is the main front of capitalism these days, and believe me the owners of that land don't give a toss whether it stays with the Reading organisers or not. I hope they don't get it - Mean Fiddler has other neighbouring land and would still be able to keep the festival there. I don't like feeding property developers, because all I see is how difficult it is for anyone to get a place to live these days, and whilst I don't begrudge people making money per se, there's just something very wrong with the way this is all going...
The land is on a major flood plain though
And it does flood fairly regularly, there is no real value in building property on it. Add to that that if the festival did carry on there (which it could anyway) you'd be living next to a building site, festival for 2/3 months a year.
The value in the land is the festival.
Well
Provided other potential bidders see that and don't bid, or offer sod all, it won't be a problem. But property developers and sentiment don't mix unfortunately. What a depressing world we live in sometimes!
Maybe if we all chip in a tenner...
We could buy it, consortium styley.
Then tell MF to piss off. Hahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa!
Who's with me?
Heh
I don't especially mind Mean Fiddler. Without them we wouldn't still have a Glastonbury, for one thing. Melvyn Benn always seems very genuine to me.
Now if we could get Carling un-involved so they could sell beer that doesn't taste like piss, that's a different story...
i still cant stop myself laughing
whenever i see that razorlight are headlining :-D
I still can't stop myself laughing
whenever I see this year's line-up
Razorlight should be
put on the stage .. to the side of the stage so everyone can throw stuff at them ... and the 14 yr old .. o sorry borrell can hvae his horse like head shaved ... ill be happy then
its
a flood plain, cant be built on really, all its good for is grazing and doing loads of drugs
Isn't there
supposed to be a couple of million quids worth of gravel underneath the site. I'm sure I read something about this, last time the site was up for sale
i'm the other interested part
y